Territory



(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Y J. P. WALKER.

STIRRUP.

No.- 374,021. Patented NOV. 29, 1887.

WIT SSES: INVENTOR:

(No Model.)

3 Shefs-Sfieet 3. J. P. WALKER. 'S-TIRR-UP. No. 374,021; Patented Nov. 29, 1887.

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m i M Q @llllllll ATTORNEYS.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN PHILIP WALKER, OF GRAND FORKS, DAKOTA TERRITORY.

STIRRUP.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent lSl'o. 374,021, dated November 29, 1887.

Application filed July 6, 1887. Serial No. 243,501.

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, J OHN PHILIP WALKER, of Grand Forks, in the county. of Grand Forks and Territory of Dakota, have inventeda new and Improved Stirrup, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to stirrups for connection to riding-saddles, and has for its object to provide a simple inexpensive device of this class which will allow slip of the riders foot from the stirrup should he be thrown from his horse, and will also allow more easy, safe, and expeditious mounting of wild or fractious animals.

The invention consists in certain novel fea tures of construction and combinations of parts of the stirrup, all as hereinafter described and claimed.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming apart of this specification, in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding-parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a plan View of my improved stirrup With parts broken away and in section. Fig. 2 is a detail cross-section taken through the lower part of the stirrup and on the line 00 x in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a front view of the stirrup. Fig. 4 is a side view of a modified form of the stirrup, or one having but two entrances to receive the riders foot; and Fig. 5 is a plan view of the modified form of stirrup.

I will particularly describe theinvention with reference, first, to Figs. 1, 2, and 3 of the drawings, and as follows:

The foot-plateA of the stirrup is secured by rivetsato a four-armed skeleton frame, B, one

.rivet at the center where the arms b of the frame intersect and one rivet in each arm at the corners of the foot-plate, which is about square, or has corners rounded over, as clearly shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings. The extremities b of the frame-arms b are shaped suitably to receive rods 0, which range along about parallel with the four edges of the footplate, and serve as bearings on which rollers D are journaled, said rollers being shown made in halves screwed together over the rods 0, on which they may freely rotate.

In the corners b of the frame B are held the lower ends of four bars or rods, E E E E, which range upward and then inward at their upper (No model.)

parts to connect with an eye, e, the four rods thus constituting a double arched frame pro-- viding four openings-one at each of the rollers Dto receive the foot of the rider. The eye 6 is directly at the center of the stirrup, and in it is swiveled by its stem f the loop F, through which will be passed a strap to connect the stirrup to asaddle in the ordinary or any approved way. 7

On the stem fof the loop F is swiveled at its center an arched frame, G, which is held to place by upsetting the extremity of the stem, as atf, or it may be by a screw passed upward into the stem, and in this frame G a concaved roller, H, is journaled.

The roller H rests on the top of the riders foot, while the ball of his foot rests on the footplate A, and the shank of his foot rests on the rear roller, D, of the stirrup. I purpose making the stirrups in different sizes, and to pro vide spaces of commensurate height between the upper and lower rollers, so that the upper roller, H, will fit onto the foot while the foot rests on the plate A, and in order to accommodate feet of different sizes in the same stirrup the ends of the rods E may be screwthreaded to receive nuts Ibelow the frame B, as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 3 of the drawings, thus allowing the foot-plate and lower rollers to be raised or lowered to cause the foot to fit properly between the upper and lower rollers. The usual method of connecting the rods E to the foot-plate frame B will, however, be by riveting or upsetting the extremities of the rods beneath the frame, as shown in full lines in Fig. 3.

The operation of the stirrup is very simple and effective, as it is obvious that should the rider be thrown from the saddle the rollers D H will assure free slip of his feet from the stirrups, and the rider will not be dragged over the ground by a runaway orunmanageable animal. Aside from this principal advantage of the stirrup, it is manifest that one of the four rollers D and foot-openings of the stirrup will the stirrup-body,with the upper roller and its frame, will turn half-way round on the straploop shank into proper position for the rider on the saddle,

The modified form of the stirrup shown in Figs. 4 and 5 of the drawings illustrates how the stirrup may be made with but two opposite openings to receive the foot of a rider, the foot-plate A in this case being held by rivets or screws a to a frame, E, made with opposite tri-form side parts, connected by an upper cross-bar, which has an eye or bearing, 6", in which is journaled the stem of the strapdoop F, to which the upper roller, H, is swiveled by its frame G, substantially in the manner above described. The opposite rollers D D arejournaled on pins or shafts 0, held to the extremities of the opposite side parts of the frame E, thus allowing the shank of the foot resting on the plate A to bear on either one of the rollers I), while the upper roller, H, rests on top of the foot, as and for the pur poses above described. It is obvious that this modified form of stirrup willserve every purpose of the stirrup having four foot-openings, as regards release of the riders foot should he be thrown from his horse and convenience in mounting a fractious animal while holding him by the bit, as hereinbefore explained.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The herein-described stirrup, made with lower and upper rollers journaled on its main frame, and said frame and its lower rollers be ing swiveled to the stirrup-strap loop, substantially as described, for the purposes set forth.

2. Astirrup made with lower and upper rollers journaled on its main frame, and said frame and its lower rollers, and also the upper roller, being swiveled to the stirrup-strap loop, substantially as described, for the purposes set forth.

3. The combination, in a stirrup, of a footplate, A, a frame from which said plate is supported, rollers D, journaled to the foot-plate or to its support, and a stirrup-strap loop, F, swiveled to the frame, substantially as shown and described.

4. The combination, in a stirrup, of a footplate, A, a frame from which said plate is supported, rollers D, journaled to the foot-plate or to its support, a stirrup-strap loop, F, swiveled to the frame, and a frame, G, carrying an upper roller, H, and swiveled to the stem of the loop F, substantially as shown and described.

5. The combination, in a stirrup, of a footplate, A, a skeleton frame, B, fixed thereto, four rods, 0 C G C, held to said frame B, rollers D on these rods, a skeleton frame, E, held to the frame B, a stirrup-strap loop, F, swiveled to the frame E, and a frame, G, carrying a roller, H, and swiveled on the stem of the loop F, substantially as described, for the pur poses set forth.

JOHN PHILIP \VALKER. 

